2010 Chablis Butteaux
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Tasting notes
The 2010 Chablis Butteaux is gorgeous. It shows none of the angularity of the 2011. Instead, layers of rich, intense fruit caress the palate in a seamless expression of the vintage that is striking. The Butteaux isn’t a hugely complex wine, but it has fabulous balance and plenty of juiciness. Today it comes across as relatively accessible within the context of the year. There is a lot of fruit, but less in the way of overt minerality. Anticipated maturity: 2012. (Not yet released) Guillaume Gicqueau-Michel describes 2011 as a synthesis of 2009 and 2010, with the fleshiness of the former and the tension of the latter. Yields came in around historical averages, as opposed to 2010, which was down 20% across the board. The 2011s were born with considerable flesh, and were therefore spent less time on their lees than normal, with the exception of the grand crus. I tasted all of the 2011s from tank. Michel planned to bottle his 2011 premier crus in October 2012 and the grand crus the following spring. By comparison the 2010s saw extremely long fermentations, partly because of the estate’s reliance on natural yeasts. Like all growers in Chablis in this vintage, Michel described the vintage as significantly influenced by a complicated flowering that lowered yields and produced a high incidence of shatter and shot grapes. The 2010 grand crus were bottled in mid-April 2012. I was surprised by how well the wines are drinking today. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Good bright, pale yellow. Pure, subtle nose melds peach, pineapple and white flowers. Showing less body than the Forets but well-integrated acidity gives precision to the middle palate. Fresh, citrussy flavors carry through to the lightly saline, dusty finish, which shows sneaky persistence. Very successful for this bottling, which Gicqueau-Michel told me he often finds a bit rustic.
(these vines average 30 years of age): Light lemon-yellow. Very pure, sexy aromas of lemon-lime, orange, herbs and flowers. Sweet, ripe fruit flavors are lifted by a note of lime oil and firmed by dusty minerality. A clean and energetic premier cru with good subtle length and nothing hard about it. I suspect that a few years ago, before this estate switched to vinifying with wild yeasts, a wine like this would have been leaner and more metallic.